Balancing School & God
After the initial weeks of finding it hard to "focus" on school while struggling to be fully rooted in Christ, I began to realize that one can't always stay on the mountain. (Thanks to the bible reading plan, I've been reading Exodus and gaining lots from it!) So for one, David, as a seeker of God's heart, also had to deal with the physical things of ruling his Kingdom. Joseph, too, had to work for the Pharaoh. They each had their "earthly labour" to tend to, not being full-time ministers.
Yet they still loved God, and kept God close to their hearts.
Today, God gave me duties and responsibilities as a student, and although I had wished to focus on more "godly" matters, there's no denying that I have to tend to my schooling and assignments. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, for God did tell man to toil & labour, right?! (Sidenote: I never realized until now how good it was for Adam & Eve before they sinned, they only had to focus on serving God and tending the Garden of Eden; then after they sinned, they had to focus on working to survive, sigh!)
Anyhow, the question is, "how do I keep God in my heart while living in this world?"
40 Days&Nights
The reason I mentioned 40 days and nights is based on the journey of the Israelites. If we start reading from Exodus 20, we see that God told the Isrealites His commandments and put His fear before them so that they may not sin (20:20). In Exodus 24, He let Aaron, the 70 elders+crew see Him, and they ate and drank (24:9-11). Then Moses went up into the mountain for 40 days & nights (24:18). But before the end of the 40 days, the Isrealites had already turned from God into disobedience, worshiping the golden calf in Exodus 32.
During one of our campus fellowships, we watched Bro. Yang Liu's testimony. It wasn't my first time watching the testimony, but this time round, one of the things that dawned on me was that the biggest challenge that I face today, is to let my faith stand against the test of time. To remember my experiences of God vividly, and hold it so close to my heart, as if it occurred yesterday. To cling onto His grace and recall His deliverance, to get me through rough patches of faith or times of doubt. Because if I don't, time erases, memories fade, and my heart - cools down.
The Answer: daily spiritual cultivation & sabbatical spiritual nourishment
God knew that living in this world and being away from the mountain pose challenges to our faith. And that is why He provided us with all these tips & guidelines on Christian living, on how to keep Him in our hearts as David and Joseph did. And every Sabbath, God calls us to return to His mountain and to taste again His Heavenly joy, and enjoy rest. Sabbaths are our day of renewal, that we gather together to encourage one another, to focus on our relationship with Him, and to be physically and spiritually with Him. And the thing is, if you are not getting that nourishment/recharge on a weekly basis, you will backslide and be overwhelmed by the world.
So, it is really important to make sure we eat spiritually each Sabbath, whether it's physically attending services or listening to online sermons if you don't live close to a church. And Ex. 24:12 tells us: we have to come up to God on the mountain, where first we learn to know Him and His will, in order to then preach and teach them to others once we are off the mountain & in this world. And although we can't stay on the mountain forever, we have to constantly go up and see God, and be filled by His Spirit. :)
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PS: check out my updated post about the doubts I faced while starting this blog!
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